The emesis-nausea complex is one of the most frequent symptoms of disease. The emesis-nausea complex is induced often in a patient by chemotherapeutic agents such as cisplatin, dacarbazine, dactinomycin, mechlorethamine, and cyclophosphamide, by radiation therapy, in gastrointestinal carcinoma, during pregnancy, and as a result of certain types of motion in hypersensitive persons.
Drugs, such as antiemetics-antinauseants, are known in Conn's Current Therapy, pages 5 to 9, (1986), for treating emesis and nausea; however, there are serious disadvantages associated with their use. For example, these drug frequently are poorly soluble in aqueous fluids and accordingly they do not lend themselves for formulation into a drug delivery device. That is, the medical-dispensing art presently lacks a dosage form that can administer these drugs in a known amount per unit time for a predetermined length of time to produce the desired therapeutic effect.
In light of the above presentation, it will be appreciated by those versed in the dispensing art to which this invention pertains, that a pressing need exists for a dosage form that can deliver the valuable antiemetic-antinausea drugs to a patient in need of antiemetic-antinausea therapy. The pressing need exists also for an oral dosage form that can deliver these drugs at a controlled rate in a constant dose per unit time over a prolonged period of time for its beneficial effects. It will be appreciated further by those versed in the dispensing art that such a novel and unique dosage form that can administer an antiemetic-antinausea drug that is difficult to deliver, in a rate controlled dose over time, and simultaneously provide anti(emesis-nausea) therapy, would represent an advancement and a valuable contribution to the drug dispensing art.